Atlanta provided a riposte to those assuming this season's NBA champion will come from the Western Conference by recording its ninth-straight win over such opponents with a 96-86 victory over Memphis on Wednesday.

Dirk Nowitzki made a clinching 3-pointer in overtime that moved him into seventh place on the NBA's career scoring list, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 96-88 on Monday night to match their season high with a sixth straight victory.